Summary

This following report focuses on the importance of Health and Safety within the workplace, the importance of the safety statement, and also the roles and responsibilities of the safety representative within a company.
An outline has been given into the roles and responsibilities of all parties and how they all play their part in Health and Safety – employers have the bulk of responsibility obviously, but with the aid of the Safety Representative, proper systems are put into place to ensure maximum safety and minimum risk.
Research was carried using the wealth of information available from the Health and Safety Authority (HSA), and this was used, with real life examples to highlight the importance of carefully …show more content…

two printers operating a machine arm wrestling on the floor. Bullying could also fall under this category, and is a very serious health risk to employees (stress at work).
Design, provide and maintain a safe working environment, ensuring safe access (entry) and egress (exit), and use of plant and equipment that is safe.
Prevention of risks from using any articles, materials or machinery e.g. exposure to physical agents, noise, radiation etc.
Plan, organise and consistently maintain safe systems of work.
Provide and maintain welfare facilities for employees in the workplace e.g. Brown Thomas in provide a free company doctor two days a week. Note: this benefits the company as well, where they believe an employees long-term sickness not to be genuine – they get a ‘second opinion’ in this case.
Provide information, and training regarding health and safety to all employees in a language they will understand i.e. lay man terms - it should be uncomplicated language. For example, Ireland is so multi cultural now that the delivery of such information will differ greatly to that of ten years ago.
Consult with their employees on matters of Health and Safety.
Provide protective clothing where necessary and no cost to the employee e.g. protective work boots for warehouse operatives; ear protection for factory workers; protective gloves to stockroom workers in a retail loading bay.
Appoint one or more